About Poppy

In a warm, modern dining room overlooking the lively streetscape of North Capitol Hill, Poppy presents James Beard award winning Chef Jerry Traunfeld’s style of Northwest cooking. Inspired by the thali, a tray of many small dishes served all at once to each guest, Poppy's menu highlights the best of local seasonal ingredients, spices, and fresh herbs from its own back garden, and includes many options for vegetarians. Poppy is an excellent venue for your group dining needs, please call or email for details.

Parking Details:There is a pay lot with restaurant access directly behind Poppy. Enter directly from the parking lot through the herb garden. Street parking, metered and non-metered, is available in the area.

Public Transit:Poppy is 5 blocks north of the new Capitol Hill light rail station, a 10 minute walk. We are also on the (49) bus route between downtown and the University District. There are two stops within a block of the restaurant.

Executive Chef:Jerry Traunfeld

Private Party Facilities:Whether celebrating a special occasion with family and friends or hosting a corporate outing, Poppy can accommodate all your special event needs.

This occasion was Valentine's Day. We rarely go out on Valentine's Day because of rushed dining, trying to turn tables, and harried staff. This was not the case here. Yup, they were a little slower with drinks, but we enjoyed an unhurried experience. The food was great. It wasn't their traditional thalias, which is what they are known for, but it was excellent. Shockingly, there was so much wonderfulness, especially the dessert, that we couldn't eat it all. I also recommend Poppy for their regular meals.

Excellent service. My girlfriend and I didn't love the crab bisque so the manager came over and offered us replacements. They were great about taking empty glasses and plates away quickly. The Papi tequila drink was outstanding.

Tags: Local Ingredients, Quiet Conversation, Fun, Good for Birthdays, Romantic, Good for a Date, Handcrafted Cocktails, Fit for Foodies, Notable Wine List, Special Occasion, Business Meals, Good for Anniversaries, Creative Cuisine

Nice and fancy, but also relaxed and comfortable. Food was interesting (but not over the top) and delicious. Very accommodating for my wife's Celiac and my lactose intolerance. I like the 20% service charge because it means I don't have to think about the tip and can focus on enjoying my meal.

Poppy is our go-to place for special occasions. My wife and I love this place. Our latest visit was another couple and it turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

Poppy has changed their bento box (thali) to tapas style. We ordered 1 thali and 3 main dishes for 4 of us to share. I enjoyed the monkfish and the pork. Our friends enjoyed the duck. The food plates were not overwhelming and we had the room to enjoy baklava with espresso sauce (yum!)

We were crowded together with others. It was noisy. The food had some flavor issues. I had to ask for an item three times. The service charge was an automatic 20% added to the bill, but our table service was minimal and the other wait staff ignored me twice. I won’t go back

The vegetarian thali was fantastic and inventive. None of the usual Indian-food--for-Americans standbys. In fact, I had no idea what I exactly what I was eating, but it was all delicious. So often chefs seem to add unusual ingredients in a sort of "Look at me, I'm being creative" way. Not here. Here I felt we were in the hands of a real artist, the flavors were all unusual, but wonderful and inventive. Eggplant fries with honey and salt? Would never have thought of it, but it was amazing. Thoughtful decor, attentive yet unobtrusive staff, good acoustics, and lovely drinks added up to one of my favorite meals ever.

Tags: Fun, Good for a Date, Special Occasion, Local Ingredients, Comfort Food, Good Vegetarian Options, Creative Cuisine

Poppys was my favorite Seattle restaurant. However, we were disappointed that they only had one thali and then several main courses. We had been looking forward to the Thalis! It also feels a little weird and lopsided for one diner to order a thali and not the other. It’s what sets you apart from other places. Loved being able to try so many small bites, I certainly hope you bring the 4 separate thali choices back.

Took 30 minutes to get drinks, over an hour for food. Thalis we're missing some elements that were hurriedly rushed out. One of us ordered chicken that was raw. Horrible experience and we used to love this place. Will never be back.

We always love our dinners at Poppy and this visit was no different. We enjoyed some cocktails off their menu (the rhubarbarella was my favorite!) as well as the goat cheese flan and smoked trout to start. The goat cheese is amazing - and I don’t even like beets (which are served with the cheese). The trout was tasty too. For the thali we both enjoyed the pork - it was senstantional! We will definitely be back!

Tags: Handcrafted Cocktails, Casual, Good for Groups, Bar Seating, Fit for Foodies, Neighborhood Gem, Local Ingredients, Good for a Date, Fun, Creative Cuisine, Special Occasion, Romantic

"We return for the relaxed feel, great food and service, and to try more dishes. The Price Fixe menu we chose the crab bisque which was amazing (would’ve liked it hotter) and the Foie Gras with Sauternes was spot on. The monkfish –while a bit over cooked, was great flavors. Service was well-timed and friendly, wines were affordable, and we brought a bottle of Champagne which was handled perfectly. Our evening was another great memory for New Year’s Eve and our Anniversary.”

Tags: Good for Birthdays, Good for Anniversaries, Tasting Menu, Local Ingredients, Bar Seating, Good for a Date

We went for the NYE dinner and the service was absolutely abysmal. We had to wait 45 minutes to get a waiter to even come to our table to order and then it took almost an hour to receive our 2nd and 3rd courses. In total we were there for over 3 hours. The food was also not up to par with the usual quality I have had at Poppy. The soup was not very tasty, the foie gras was good, and the lamb oso bucco was very greasy and dried out. For the price we paid, $95, for the NYE meal it was a complete rip off. Further it was mandatory 20% tip, which would have been fine if the service was standard even but it was terrible. I have had many good dining experiences at Poppy but this meal may have stopped me from ever going back.

Poppy's hits the sweet spot as a place where you can relax while eating wonderful, inventive and amazing food, with just the right kind of help from staff -- not too obsequious but there when you need them. Warm, interesting, neighborhood, but first rate; portions that don't over do it; excellent wine list, drinks, surprises us every visit with new dishes and flavors -- something for every palate!

We had arranged to meet friends for Happy Hour at 5:30. We ordered drinks and dinner off of the Happy Hour menu and had a very nice time. The server was attentive and the food was good. The noise level was low enough that conversation was not difficult. Happy hour dishes seemed more expensive than we had hoped.

My husband and I have been a fan of Poppy since they opened. We have thoroughly enjoyed our meals every time we've been, be it just the two of us or with a group of friends. We are also impressed that we haven't had a single dish we didn't love. That's amazing to think about since the dishes are served mostly Thali-style (many small dishes). Completely impressive. The flavors they coax out of local Northwest ingredients are absolutely delightful. This restaurant has become our go-to, fave, number one choice in Seattle for dinner out.

Tags: Business Meals, Worth the Drive, Cozy, Good for a Date, Seasonal, Bar Seating, Healthy, Neighborhood Gem, Disabled Access, Good for Birthdays, Fit for Foodies, Creative Cuisine, Tasting Menu, Pre/post Theatre, Good Vegetarian Options, Local Ingredients, People Watching, Romantic, Good for Anniversaries, Good for Groups, Handcrafted Cocktails

We hadn’t been to Poppy in a couple of years, but when we saw the prix fixe Christmas Eve menu, we made a reservation and even snow that evening did not deter us. Great meal. I started with oyster stew paired with ham on delicious little biscuits and my partner had spot prawns. We both enjoyed a wonderfully crispy duck entree and because of the snow I wanted a nonalcoholic drink and found the pineapple shrub to be perfect, distinctive and not sweet. For dessert, my companion had a dark chocolate soufflé and I had a grapefruit tart with a meringue bottom crust and a top crust somewhere between a graham cracker and gingerbread. Every bite had a piquant flavor combination. Service was attentive but unobtrusive, as we had remembered from previous visits.

Tags: Good for a Date, Special Occasion, Creative Cuisine, Quiet Conversation, Good for Anniversaries, Good Vegetarian Options, Local Ingredients, Worth the Drive, Fit for Foodies, Healthy, Handcrafted Cocktails, Organic, Good for Birthdays

We visit Poppy regularly. On Tuesday evening, 12/19, I hosted some business associates for dinner. Upon our arrival we sat st the bar and were ignored by the bartender for a good 10 minute. When I attempted to waive her to the table she just pretended as though she didn’t see us. When I yelled excuse me, she proceeded to walk over to us very slow and with disgust in her eyes. She approached us with ‘what do you need?’

We were escorted to our table by the host. We ordered from the menu and requested some of the sides be substituted for the others, something I have since Poppy opened. The server replied, we are very strict on no substitutions. I was so embarrassed at this point as I had recommended this restaurant. When the food arrived, one of my associates was served chicken when he ordered monk fish. She said, sorry, I guess I’m having a bad day and never offered to replace it. Many of our sides were different from what we ordered. In fact, upon ordering, I indicated I had a severe nut allergy. In spite of that, she served me a side with nuts.

Needless to say, I will be taking a break from Poppy. Poppy used to have such warm service and I really enjoyed the experience. I hope the best for Poppy, but with an experience such as the one we had, it might just victim to restaurants of the past. Really sad.

This is the second time that we have been to Poppy where we have been disappointed with the amount of time it has taken us to get our food. It is only after we have received our drink order that we are informed that the thalis, which for us are the reason for going to Poppy, will be about 40 minutes away because the kitchen is backed up. The server usually recommends that we order an appetizer to hold us over until our meal arrives which is a good idea. I would recommend two different possible solutions. The first would be to not seat as many people per time slot as is currently done, the other idea would be to inform your customers of the situation before they have ordered drinks so that they can then make a decision about whether to stay or go someplace with a shorter lead time.

good, creative/interesting food. Service was a bit slow/inattentive, especially given that they include 20% non-discretionary gratuity. Servers were friendly/helpful when they were there, but it was 15 min from when we were seated to when someone appeared to ask about drinks; and that pace continued throughout the meal. Having in lived in Europe for many years, I don't mind a leisurely meal - but this was a bit extreme; nearly 2 hours for a two course meal.

The food was fine, but nothing special, and definitely not worth the price tag. My monkfish was bland, and had a totally inedible citron salad--it tasted like chunks of orange rind. This meal is probably the only time I've actually spit food out at a restaurant as an adult. The sides were fine. My wine was excellent. Dessert was disappointing--the cookies were hard, and the date cake was dry (though the sauce was delicious). The concept is cool, but I wouldn't go back.

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